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Our series of online, candid conversations brings together city builders of all stripes to discuss what’s working, what’s not and what’s next for urban communities across Canada.

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  • Rebuilding Jasper: One year after the fire

    Last summer, Beth Sanders was getting ready to lead a new planning department for Jasper, Alberta when the municipality was evacuated due to wildfires. The fires ended up destroying around a third of the town.

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  • Strengthening Regional Partnerships: Economic Resilience in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Region

    This discussion was created in partnership with CUI’s valued partner, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

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  • What will it take to finally end Canada’s housing crisis?

    It’s no secret that Canada is in a housing crisis. The gap between incomes and housing prices has been growing for decades, as governments of all political stripes have promised to ease the burden. So what would it take to finally end it?

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  • Friend or Foe for Vibrant Neighbourhoods: Are Festivals Worth It?

    Festivals can be a great excuse to get out and see something new. But they can also be disruptive to local residents and businesses. So when do they help a city thrive, and when are they more trouble than they’re worth? Host Mary Rowe gets the perspectives of two guests who helped shape iconic downtown…

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  • Unlocking Urban Circularity: Scaling Material Reuse from Policy to Practice

    Carly Connor emphasized that true progress in urban circularity requires dismantling silos between professions, sectors, and projects. Drawing from her experience bridging heritage building practices with new embodied carbon policies, Connor highlighted the need for greater collaboration across the design ecosystem. “We started to look in the industry: how could we do this more efficiently?…

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    Sacred Spaces, Civic Value: Reimagining Faith Buildings for Community Resilience

    Faith buildings across Canada are more than places of worship—they are vital community anchors. Yet, according to the National Trust for Canada, one-third of the country’s 27,000 faith buildings are at risk of permanent closure by the end of the decade. These closures represent a looming civic crisis: many nonprofit organizations depend on these spaces…

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  • Sharing the Streets

    At the Canadian Urban Institute, better, future-proof infrastructure pervades every project and discussion we have. Ahead of the upcoming Ontario Bike Summit in Windsor, host Mary Rowe has a two-wheeled chat with leading advocates for more, better and safer urban cycling systems, including Eleanor McMahon (Share The Road Coalition); Lanrick Bennett Jr. (School of Cities,…

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  • Economies of Belonging: The Impact of Investing in Local Places

    Priya Mohan, founder of sariKNOTsari in Hamilton, exemplifies how small businesses can be powerful engines of community and connection. What began as a modest operation in the basement of another shop has grown into a vibrant storefront on James Street North—thanks in part to support from the My Main Street program. Her boutique transforms upcycled…

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  • Getting Climate Ready: How Should We Rethink Infrastructure for Long-Term Resilience?

    Small communities across Canada are on the front lines of climate change, facing mounting infrastructure pressures amid limited resources, minimal technical capacity, and overstretched staff. These municipalities are expected to manage increasingly complex challenges—from aging assets to extreme weather events—without sufficient personnel or funding to respond effectively. The Climate Ready Infrastructure Service (CRIS) program directly…

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  • Toward People-Centered Cities: Civic Engagement and the Legacy of Jane Jacobs

    Former Jane’s Walk Co-Chair Celia Beketa emphasized that the initiative serves as a powerful vehicle for fostering empathy, and understanding urban life through shared, lived experiences. Having discovered the initiative after moving to Toronto, she became deeply involved, later researching its impacts through a master’s thesis on belonging. Her findings showed how Jane’s Walk enables…

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  • Community Innovation in Uncertain Times: Building Resilient Main Streets with Local Solutions

    A common thread among all panellists was that local innovation thrives in times of disruption. From pandemic-era buying programs to procurement shifts triggered by tariffs, these efforts show how communities respond with creativity and determination. Gwen Patrick noted, “It’s not a coincidence that this work was incubated in an environment of scarcity.” Mary Pattison echoed…

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  • Lessons from Main Streets: How Are Local Businesses Navigating Economic Uncertainty?

    Olivier Legault of Rues Principales highlighted that the communities which emerged strongest from past crises—such as the COVID-19 pandemic—were those with a strong local customer base. He cautioned that trends like “buy local” often surge in response to crises but tend to fade without sustained policy support. Legault advocated for long-term strategies centered on densifying…

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